Ellen Gass

Ellen joined The Conservation Fund in 2022 as the Texas Field Representative, where she focuses on protecting properties with high conservation value through acquisition and conservation easements. Based in the Texas Hill Country, Ellen works throughout the state and has worked to expand protected landscapes including the Big Thicket National Preserve, Lower Rio Grande Valley and Balcones Canyonlands. She also provides GIS/mapping, analysis and planning support for the Texas office.

With a career focused on land protection, stewardship, outdoor education, volunteer management and trail construction, Ellen has worked in Texas, South Carolina, New Mexico and up and down the Appalachian Trail. Her previous positions include Conservation Director at Texas Land Conservancy and Stewardship Manager at Lowcountry Land Trust. Ellen also serves on the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and the Access Fund’s Acquisitions and Loan Committee. She holds a master’s degree in Geography from Texas A&M University and a B.A. from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

An enthusiastic and avid backpacker, Ellen thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail following graduate school and continues to spend as much time as she can outdoors gardening, hiking, running, biking and enjoying the rivers and lakes of Central Texas.